KUALA LUMPUR — Former men’s doubles world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik are determined to avoid losing to their teammates, Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun, in the Indonesia Masters semi-finals tomorrow for one simple reason: they are the seniors.
Speaking to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) after their 21-19, 21-15 quarter-final victory over South Korea’s scratch pair Kang Min-hyuk and Kim Won-ho, Wooi Yik said: “As teammates, we want to see them give their best when they play us tomorrow. But ultimately, we want to win the match because we are the seniors, and we’ve got to prove that.”
Aaron and Wooi Yik will be keen to make amends after recent setbacks, especially following their disappointments in the Malaysia and India Opens earlier this month.
At the Super 1000 Malaysia Open, the 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medallists were eliminated in the second round, while they fell short in the India Open semi-finals against Won-ho and his partner last week, Seo Seung-jae.
“We have our targets, but maybe it’s best not to say them out loud. Coming into this season, especially the Malaysia Open, we were not in our best condition.
“However, we decided to compete in three back-to-back tournaments to test our patience and limits,” Aaron added.
Earlier today, Wei Chong and Kai Wun secured their place in the semi-finals by defeating compatriots Yap Roy King and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, 21-15, 21-16, in another quarter-final clash.
In the women’s doubles, Malaysia’s top pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah booked their semi-final ticket after defeating Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto, 21-16, 21-15.
This marks the second consecutive week they have beaten the Japanese pair, earning a spot in their second semi-final on the trot.
The world number seven pair will face South Korea’s Lee Yeon-woo and Lee Yu-lim next.
Another Malaysian pair, Go Pei Kee and Teoh Mei Xing, were outclassed by China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian, exiting the competition with a heavy 21-5, 21-13 defeat.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s mixed doubles campaign ended in the quarter-finals, with all three pairs bowing out.
Top seeds Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei narrowly lost 18-21, 22-20, 21-18 to Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Suppisara Paewsampran.
Fellow India Open semi-finalists Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai were overpowered 21-15, 21-9 by Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito.
Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin put up a spirited fight but fell short in three games, losing 21-23, 21-11, 21-19 to Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati. — January 24, 2025